20 C. The danger zones

1. Scope of negation: "The buyer did not inspect the goods on Monday" — does not apply to inspect, the goods or Monday? Ambiguity! Fix: "It was not on Monday that…" or "What the buyer did not do was inspect…" 2. Double negatives: (a) illogical: ~~"He cannot get no bail"~~; (b) deliberate litotes: "not uncommon" = quite common; "not without merit" = has some merit — common judicial understatement; know the difference. 3. shall not vs may not: "shall not" = prohibition; "may not" = is not permitted — usually also prohibition, but some courts read may not as merely denying a discretion. Modern drafting: must not for prohibition (unambiguous). 4. No person shall…: the statutory prohibition formula — "No person shall take dowry." (subject + shall + negated noun phrase).